"penetrates the old surface to chemically bond a new surface into the old."
Bathtub,Tile,Shower Refinishing in Dallas,Tx.
Bathtub Refinishing is an Industry that has had it's ups and downs through the years. Although Bathtub,Tile,Shower refinishing has been done since the 1930's, it has just recently been accepted as a means by which one can make the old look new again.
To understand why Bathtub Refinishing works we have to also understand when it does not work.
Problems occur when people not properly trained in bathtub refinishing think they can simply paint a bathtub, like they would a car. I have had past customers do that very thing then when it peels they say "bathtub refinishing is a quick fix" that usually follows by something like now I have a peeling mess that is clogging the drains and I need to have someone just strip it down. More times then not I can explain to them why the tub peeled. I usually start off by asking what they used. More times then not it was the $40 D.I.Y. kit. I had one gentleman that still had the empty box and I suggested we look at it. It was a can of spray "epoxy" is what was printed on the box. This particular customer was very knowledgeable of different paints and I asked him is he was familiar with Epoxy and he was. I then told him I was too. In 1991 when I first started my business Epoxy was the only thing we had to use. It was mixed 1 part paint to 1 part hardener then it needed 30 minutes to "sweat" (that just means to allow the mixture to melt together" It then had to be used in about 3 hours or it was no good. He agreed, he said yes that was how I did it too. I then asked "How could this single can be pre mixed and set on a shelf in a store for months"? I then asked " the directions say to allow 3 days to dry, how can epoxy take 3 days to dry in open air? It's no good after 3 hours because it sets up so fast! He looked at me and said This isn't Epoxy is it! No sir, I don't think so.... to me it sounds more like oil based or Alkyd Paint. However, even if it were epoxy, you would not have been any better off. The Bathtub refinishing Industry has not used Epoxy since 1998. The reason was Epoxy would fail after daily use. Epoxy was a paint, paint is applied on top of the old surface. A professional refinisher will use a copolymer coating that is made for bathtub,shower,tile refinishing. The copolymer coating is etched into, not layed on top of, the old surface. Fusion Finish always chemically welds the new surface In to the old surface, then fuses another 7 coatings on top of that!
So please don't be fooled by half truths by the D.I.Y. kits. It you want a high gloss porcelain like surface that will last, then please see my website at: Bathtub Refinishing Dallas. The kits will give off a cheap painted look, will yellow if bleach is used to clean them and will peel up because it's not bonded to the original surface. I don't know how other refinishers work. I would hope for the good of our industry it is done correctly but the truth is at $280.00 a gallon some people will look for a cheap way of doing the bathtub work and they will call it refinishing (although it is not) then instead of simply saying I screwed up.... they will say Refinishing doesn't work. Bathtub Painting does not work. However, professional bathtub refinishing can provide you with a permanent solution.
Dallas Bathtub Pros
To understand why Bathtub Refinishing works we have to also understand when it does not work.
Problems occur when people not properly trained in bathtub refinishing think they can simply paint a bathtub, like they would a car. I have had past customers do that very thing then when it peels they say "bathtub refinishing is a quick fix" that usually follows by something like now I have a peeling mess that is clogging the drains and I need to have someone just strip it down. More times then not I can explain to them why the tub peeled. I usually start off by asking what they used. More times then not it was the $40 D.I.Y. kit. I had one gentleman that still had the empty box and I suggested we look at it. It was a can of spray "epoxy" is what was printed on the box. This particular customer was very knowledgeable of different paints and I asked him is he was familiar with Epoxy and he was. I then told him I was too. In 1991 when I first started my business Epoxy was the only thing we had to use. It was mixed 1 part paint to 1 part hardener then it needed 30 minutes to "sweat" (that just means to allow the mixture to melt together" It then had to be used in about 3 hours or it was no good. He agreed, he said yes that was how I did it too. I then asked "How could this single can be pre mixed and set on a shelf in a store for months"? I then asked " the directions say to allow 3 days to dry, how can epoxy take 3 days to dry in open air? It's no good after 3 hours because it sets up so fast! He looked at me and said This isn't Epoxy is it! No sir, I don't think so.... to me it sounds more like oil based or Alkyd Paint. However, even if it were epoxy, you would not have been any better off. The Bathtub refinishing Industry has not used Epoxy since 1998. The reason was Epoxy would fail after daily use. Epoxy was a paint, paint is applied on top of the old surface. A professional refinisher will use a copolymer coating that is made for bathtub,shower,tile refinishing. The copolymer coating is etched into, not layed on top of, the old surface. Fusion Finish always chemically welds the new surface In to the old surface, then fuses another 7 coatings on top of that!
So please don't be fooled by half truths by the D.I.Y. kits. It you want a high gloss porcelain like surface that will last, then please see my website at: Bathtub Refinishing Dallas. The kits will give off a cheap painted look, will yellow if bleach is used to clean them and will peel up because it's not bonded to the original surface. I don't know how other refinishers work. I would hope for the good of our industry it is done correctly but the truth is at $280.00 a gallon some people will look for a cheap way of doing the bathtub work and they will call it refinishing (although it is not) then instead of simply saying I screwed up.... they will say Refinishing doesn't work. Bathtub Painting does not work. However, professional bathtub refinishing can provide you with a permanent solution.
Dallas Bathtub Pros